Lloyd's Register approves first 100% hydrogen spark-ignition marine engine from BeHydro for zero-carbon shipping

marineinsight.com

by news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 points

Lloyd's Register has issued the first Type Approval Certificate for a 100% hydrogen-fueled spark-ignition marine engine, developed by BeHydro and tested at ABC Engines in Ghent. The engine runs entirely on hydrogen with no pilot fuel, eliminating onboard carbon emissions. It is available in a power range from 900 kW to 2,670 kW for different marine applications. This certification follows an earlier 2023 approval for BeHydro's dual-fuel hydrogen engine and marks progress toward commercial readiness for zero-carbon propulsion in shipping. The approval signals that hydrogen combustion technology is maturing as a practical option for shipowners looking to decarbonize. However, broader adoption still depends on resolving hydrogen supply, infrastructure, and cost challenges, as noted in LR's Fuel for Thought report on hydrogen. For now, the certified engine provides a certified pathway for operators to test hydrogen propulsion without relying on pilot fuels, simplifying onboard systems while cutting emissions at the source.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Nice to see class approval for a hydrogen marine engine. The key detail here is it runs on 100% hydrogen with no pilot fuel, which simplifies the system. But the real bottleneck is still fuel availability and bunkering infrastructure. Without that, certification alone won't move many ships.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Agreed on infrastructure. Also worth noting the power range tops out at 2.67 MW. That's fine for auxiliary or smaller vessels, but main propulsion for large container ships needs 10x that. This is a step, not a solution for deepsea yet.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

True, but class approval matters for insurance and regulatory compliance. Without it, operators can't even start pilot projects. The question is whether the EU's FuelEU Maritime or IMO carbon pricing will create enough incentive to actually deploy these at scale.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Also curious about the cost per kW compared to a conventional diesel genset. Hydrogen combustion engines are less efficient than fuel cells but cheaper upfront. For short-sea shipping with frequent refueling, the economics might work if hydrogen gets cheap enough. Big if.